Fringe benefits in St. James

If you write it, they will act — or so Dawn Romanowski has learned.

The St. James teacher is the mastermind behind a performance of Macbeth that will debut at this year’s Fringe Festival. A longtime Shakespeare enthusiast, Romanowski was able to get friends and family on board for the show, although most of them had no prior theatre or acting experience.

"They’re game, they’re the best, really," she said. "Most of them, except my son, had never been in a play and this year they had the experience and they’re fearless. And they have their own ideas too, so it’s a lot of fun."

Romanowski has reworked the classic tragedy into something shorter and funnier. At Fringe, the show will run an hour, and in this version no one dies. There’s even a dance number. The writer said she chose people with a good sense of humour and who would be willing to commit to the project. Rehearsals began in January and have been taking place weekly.

St. James resident Vince Runchey plays King Duncan, Macduff and a backup dancer. He said getting onstage the first time was tough, but now it’s more about having fun and making the audience laugh. The group tried to get into Fringe last year with King Lear, and due to random selection weren’t chosen. They decided to put on one show anyway and were met with nothing but positive feedback.

"Having done it that one night, it got rid of that real stage fright," Runchey said. "Now there’s lots of butterflies and we’re having fun rehearsing and doing it, so we’re hoping the audience likes it.

"Dawn has an absolute love for Shakespeare, so she’ll pull lines directly but she’s twisted and modified it a bit to try to get some laughs and just have fun with it."

An accountant by day, Runchey said the play has been a great way to add some creative expression to his life.

Allison Neill, also from St. James, plays Lady Macbeth and a witch.

"I have no acting experience whatsoever."

However, she said Romanowski was her first friend in Winnipeg when Neill moved as a kid, so when the opportunity to work on something together came up, Neill said yes right away.

"I thought I’ll give it a try. I like to step out of my comfort zone," she said. "She truly did cast a great bunch of people. And my thoughts were that I’d never love it this much."

Marc Schaeffer, also acting, said he left most of his theatre dreams behind in high school, and wasn’t very familiar with Shakespeare’s stories.

"I’m 47 years old and for me, there’s not always a new experience in life, you get kind of used to routine," Schaeffer said. "Life is full and interesting but to have something like this where it’s a first time for me… it’s sort of a transformative experience for me."

He said the show is an approachable one, whether you know the stories or not.

"I think if you want to see Shakespeare in a different light… then this is the show for you," Neill said. "There’s characters that appeal even to children, young and old."

For tickets and info, visit winnipegfringe.com